KEENE'S FOLLOWERS

BORN TO PERFORM

Keene Holbrook Curtis was born in Salt Lake City, and grew up in Bountiful, Utah. As a child he would make his own stages out of cardboard boxes and would put on shows for people in his neighborhood.

DISCOVERED

As a student actor and cheerleader, Keene earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees at the University of Utah. During World War II he served in the United States Navy as a lieutenant. He was later discovered in 1947 by Orson Welles, who cast him as Lennox in the film ''Macbeth'' (1948).

CAREER

Keene's theatrical career began in 1955 as a Broadway stage manager. He won the Tony Award in 1971 as best featured actor in a musical for playing four diverse characters, each with a different accent, in ''The Rothschilds.''

ON TOUR

Keene played Daddy Warbucks in ''Annie'' on Broadway and in San Francisco and Los Angeles. He also co-starred in the national touring company of ''La Cage aux Folles'' for two years. Among his other Broadway credits are ''A Patriot for Me,'' ''Division Street,'' ''Night Watch'' and ''Via Galactica.''

FILM & TELEVISION

Keene had many television & movie credits to his name. His most famous was his reoccuring role as John Allen Hill (the owner of Melville's Restaurant) in "Cheers."

A LEGACY TO FOLLOW

In 1998, Keene endowed a scholarship at the University of Utah to help graduates of the school's Actor Training Program launch their careers. He also donated to the university his Tony Award and 48 boxes of theater memorabilia and personal papers.

GOODNIGHT SWEET PRINCE

On October 13th, 2002 Keene passed away among friends and family.

"He was the most positive and generous actor I ever worked with. He was always concerned first with everyone else's comfort in rehearsal and in performances. I never heard him say an unkind word about anyone. He was also a mentor to me as a young stage manager with APA."

-Bruce Hoover

"One of the American theatre's most dependable featured actors for over 40 years."